British eSports Championships to begin in February

31 January 2018 11:49

The popularity of eSports in the United Kingdom looks set to go from strength to strength after the British eSports Association announced they are launching the first ever British eSports Championships, beginning in February.

Held at Westminster’s Maida Vale library, the four-part pilot scheme has been created with school and college students in mind. Open to anyone between 12 and 19 years of age from schools, further education colleges, library hubs and pupil referral units, twenty teams will do battle in League of Legends, Overwatch and Project CARS 2.

Schools and colleges are expected to hold their own trials prior to the beginning of the tournament to assemble their strongest teams possible. There will be pre-arranged weekly matches, designed to help the British eSports Association understand the best way to engage young people with eSports through the educational system.

The event will demonstrate the importance of teamwork, communication, leadership skills and more, raising the awareness of eSports in schools around the country. Players will also able to get involved in non-playing roles, including team management and commentary positions, highlighting the various positions available within the industry.

It is hoped this pilot scheme will showcase the benefits of eSports to a wider audience, and Mo Fadl - head of UK eSports at Riot Games (creator of LOL) - said: “We are extremely excited to see the world of eSports helping to foster the community and teamwork skills in schools across the United Kingdom.

“The next generation of young gamers are already proving to be more skilled and competitive than ever. We can’t wait to see how players grow and develop both individually and as a team, and look forward to seeing the top teams battle it out in person!”, he added.

It is anticipated these championships will then lead onto the beginning of a full national championship programme, commencing in September 2018, with an eye on the finals taking place at Birmingham’s Insomnia in August 2019, regarded as one of the UK’s biggest gaming festivals.